Wii U won't be big success, says godfather of gaming Nolan Bushnell

The Nintendo Wii U is the first in the next generation of games consoles to hit the market, with the Xbox 720 and PS4 widely expected to be launched in summer 2013. It went on sale in the US on 18 November and will hit the UK and the rest of Europe this Friday, 30 November.

But while there are plenty who herald this new stage in gaming technology, its release hasn't been welcomed by everyone. One particular industry luminary, Nolan Bushnell - a founding father of videogaming with his invention of Pong and creation of Atari - even thinks the Wii U represents the end of an era.

Speaking to the New York Times, Bushnell explained that he doesn't even see the need for a new games console, considering that the current generation is capable of stunning graphics as it is. And he referred to Nintendo's new machine specifically. "I actually am baffled by it," he said. "I don’t think it’s going to be a big success."

It's not just Nintendo that Bushnell is baffled by, however. He accepts that Microsoft and Sony are about to refresh their ranges too, but hinted that we've already gone as far as gaming can go - everything else is just a continuation on a theme.

"These things will continue to sputter along, but I really don’t think they’ll be of major import ever again," he told the New York Times. "It feels like the end of an era to me."

Our senior ed of news and features has been a tech and games journalist for more than 27 years, and has been with Pocket-lint for over five. Rik has edited a number of videogame magazines in the past, was deputy editor of Home Cinema Choice, and his TV career included stints as co-presenter of Channel 4's Gamesmaster and Sky One’s Games World.